I’ve never watched the show Downton Abbey. Every time I hear it mentioned, I think of The Beatles album Abbey Road. My wife, on the other hand, enjoys it. So this is the email exchange I had with her from my office.
Josh: Hey sweetie, since I don’t watch this show and you do, why don’t you write the review for it?
Tina: I’ve got my own work to do. Reviewing movies is your job. That’s why you make the big bucks.
Josh: Uh, you’ve seen my paychecks. Big bucks are certainly not the words that would describe them.
Tina: Good point.
Josh: And think of all the free movies you get to see with me because we’re watching these at press screenings. So do me a solid on this and give me some copy I can turn in.
Tina: Fine, but I can’t guarantee it will be any good or it will even be what your editors want. Are you going to go with me to the screening?
Josh: Well, the Royal Cigar Lounge is 11.3 miles from the movie theater on Miramar Road. I’ll go with you, but then sneak out. And in honor of the old fogeys in the cast, I’ll go smoke a Briar pipe.
Tina: Lovely. So you’re going to smell like tobacco the rest of the night. And, you don’t even have a pipe.
Josh: Yeah, that’s true. I’ll just smoke an Ashton cigar, then.
[The following day, after the movie screening, I sent this email from my work]
Josh: So, let’s see what you’ve got for a review.
Tina: Well, I tried taking notes like you do during the movies. But it was dark and I couldn’t see. A few times I wasn’t sure if the pen was even writing. And other times, I wrote notes over other notes, and now I can’t even read what I wrote down. But here’s what I got:
The film opens with the wedding of former chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and former maid Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) which allows us to see how the intervening years have treated the cast. The camera glides from one couple to another reminding us of who’s with who and to see how their children have grown, and sadly, who is still flying solo.
Josh: Flying solo. That reminds me, the Top Gun screening is next week. Anyway, so far this is looking good.
Tina: You can go without me to that. I’m not interested. Anyway, back to my review. We’re quickly transported back to the realities of Downton. Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) has her hands full managing the estate, the roof is leaking, and her husband Henry is off racing cars. (Spoiler alert: I hoped that he would at least come racing up the drive at the end but, no!)
Josh: Racing cars. That reminds me…did you ever see Days of Thunder, which was Tom Cruise doing Top Gun but in race cars?
Tina: I missed that. But, you know I’m not into a lot of those action movies. In this movie, the “action” is divided between “A New Era” of moviemaking at Downton and a mystery from Violet Crawley’s (Maggie Smith) youth that sends most of the cast off to the south of France to investigate an inheritance.
Josh: Is Maggie Smith the one with the Marty Feldman eyes?
Tina: I’m not even going to dignify your stupidity at this point. I’m just going to barrel on through this.
At Downton, Violet and Isobel (Penelope Merton) are reunited to talk trash about filmmaking. (Their barbs are always fun but they started to remind me of Statler & Waldorf from The Muppets.) Mary is left to deal with the estate and the movie production led by the handsome director (Hugh Dancy). Will he take an interest in Mary? Gosh, who doesn’t?!
In France, everyone is enjoying the surprising hospitality of the Frenchman who’s about to be turned out of the villa. His mother’s glares seem more appropriate as the Crawley’s are inheriting their home. Comic relief comes from Mr. Carson playing the Ugly American as a Brit in his bowler hat and woolen suit.
The production is lavish with the French villa giving Downton a run for its money. The cinematography is as sweeping and grand as we’d expect. The cast looks like actors playing roles they’ve inhabited for many years – which is good, and not so good, as many seem to have aged much more than their characters would have. But, the real highlight of the film are the costumes – they’re simply amazing! I was never bored, especially since the story frequently flits between the two locations, because I was fascinated by how beautiful some of the dresses were – the gold, the glitter, the illusion, the jewels – oh my!
Watching a two-hour movie with the cast of a beloved series that ran for six years, it’s hard to have as much time with each of the characters that we’d like. But this movie seems to do a better job than the first in that there’s much less silliness, well there is Mr. Moseley. Instead of everyone fawning over royals, we just have a couple actors to distract Daisey and crew. Julian Fellowes does try to confuse us with some mysteries and drama – he doesn’t seem to be able to help himself (why, he even resurrects Pernicious Anemia for Pete’s sake!) – but don’t let that bother you. Enjoy seeing your old friends having fun and looking lovely – in A New Era.
Josh: I think that review works. I’m not really sure though, I fell asleep in the middle of reading it, as I probably would have watching the actual movie. Just tell me how many stars you’d give it.
Tina: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.